Friday, May 6, 2011

Dancer

Maybe it's just because I like the name (it reminded me of a certain David Bazan), but when I got an e-mail from singer-songwriter Grandpa Was a Lion, I made sure to check it out. Although the sound is a lot more folkier than the aforementioned lion of another name, Brooklyn's Justin D'Onofrio has a handful of interesting and witty tunes in his arsenal. Apparently, he recorded most of his stuff with an old iBook, a cheap mic and a tape deck. The super lo-fi atmosphere of D'Onofrio's work is why it works so well, and what gives it so much charm. Not to mention, the songs are actually well-written.

Dancer, a track off Grandpa Was a Lion's The Whalestoe Tapes, is definitely one of the highlights of the Connecticut native's work. It's easy to get absolutely lost a couple minutes into the song after the buildup - D'Onofrio starts layering even more vocals (a recurring theme of his). It's simple stuff from a guy in a basement who lacks any real professional equipment. What he doesn't lack is the ability to craft some really heartfelt songs. I think that's what makes it so damn endearing.

Check out Grandpa Was a Lion's bandcamp and give this guy's music a listen.